Graphic Journey Blogtag:typepad.com,2003:weblog-16659402018-05-01T11:12:47+01:00Mike Dempsey's blog on graphics and life.TypePadBranding brands: Part 4 tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e5532538c488330224df2f20b2200b2018-05-01T11:12:47+01:002018-05-08T12:40:37+01:00I think of brands rather like pop groups. On the one hand, you had The Beatles: a collection of individuals with a common goal, born out of originality, vision, talent and passion. On the other, you had The Monkees: a...Mike Dempsey

I think of brands rather like pop groups. On the one hand, you had The Beatles: a collection of individuals with a common goal, born out of originality, vision, talent and passion. On the other, you had The Monkees: a manufactured, derivative group, put together as a commercial proposition. Unoriginal, manipulated and visionless.

The Monkees

The John Lewis Partnership, formed in 1864, is a great British brand. Because of its unique staff ownership, it has always engendered trust, friendliness and exceptional customer service. With its long-lived mantra “never knowingly undersold”, people still flock to the flagship store in Oxford Street for the ‘John Lewis experience’. Because of the partnership ethos, people believe that all the staff are singing from the same song sheet because they have a written constitution with a set of principles to sing.

The late Ingvar Kamprad

One global company that has stuck rigidly to its founding principles is Ikea. This is very much due to the close attention paid by its creator Ingvar Kamprad, who started the company in the 1940s; he ensured that his philosophy permeated throughout the staff, wherever they were located. Even after he retired, his values remained the guiding principles: “create a better everyday life for the majority of people”.

He insisted that his employees’ behaviour was 100% focused on meeting customers’ expectations. This is eulogised by all the staff working for Ikea. Even though Kamprad was wildly rich, he continued to live modestly and travelled on public transport to save money. A rare example of a founder actually ‘living the brand’.

Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield

Interestingly, private-sector companies are often started by unconventional, enthusiastic individuals with a passion to express their ideas, void of the artifice of manufactured hype and PR, and they are often successful. In 1978, two twenty-something best friends, Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, started a homemade ice cream company in Burlington, Vermont – they called it Ben & Jerry’s. Their wholesome product was a big hit with the locals. People just fell in love with it and them. Word spread, and everyone wanted the delicious, no-additive product. Keeping close to the coalface and their customers, Ben & Jerry’s added evermore recipes to its growing range. The best publicity, word of mouth, spread far and wide. A Ben & Jerry’s poster read “Business has a responsibility to give back to the community” from Ben and “If it’s not fun, why do it?” from Jerry. The company grew, shared profits with staff, gave money to charity and sourced suppliers with similar values.

Innocent's Richard Reed, Adam Balon and Jon Wright

In 1999, three former university friends, Richard Reed, Adam Balon and Jon Wright, sold their homemade smoothies from a stall at a music festival. They put up a sign asking people if they should give up their jobs to make smoothies: they had a bin saying ‘Yes’ and a bin saying ‘No’. When they totalled up the results, they quit their jobs. After being turned down by every bank, venture capitalist and business angel in London, they sent out a flurry of letters to the rich and famous. Their prayers were answered and financial backing was in the bag. And so Innocent was started. Following a similar path to Ben & Jerry’s, they sold locally, monitoring people’s views on their smoothies. They had little cars painted black and white to resemble cows and other cars covered in grass, buzzing around London.

A grassed up Innocent van.

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The very first McDonald’s

Both Ben & Jerry’s and Innocent followed in the footsteps of Dick and Mac McDonald, who set up the very first McDonald’s in San Bernardino, California, in 1940. They made it a success by working their socks off, and they were obsessive about the quality of their products. But that all changed when a young salesman, Ray Kroc, talked them into franchising their burger bar idea. Against their better judgement, the brothers were hoodwinked by Kroc into corner cutting. They tried to stop the expansion but were outsmarted by Kroc’s lawyers, who turned the whole enterprise into a real estate company with Kroc as CEO.

Whenever successful enterprises like the above three stories pop up, the corporate sharks begin to circle, clutching money in their teeth. Ben & Jerry’s was bought but Unilever and Innocent was bought and is controlled by The Coca-Cola Company – not exactly sympatico with Innocent’s wholesome aims. The moment this happens, things change. A whole host of interested parties will be in the room: unsympathetic management focused on cost-cutting (so the quality of the product declines); hungry investors looking for a good return on their investment; and so on.

My personal liking is for what I call ‘pure brands’: my Beatles, if you like. Here are two that I have a lot of respect for.

Classic simplicity of Margaret Howell clothes.

The first is the fashion brand Margaret Howell. As a young fine art graduate, Margaret was rummaging through a jumble sale stall when she came upon a vintage shirt. So taken was she by its clearly handmade quality, something missing in mass production, that she had an epiphany. She would make shirts to that quality and find a market for them, believing that there would be others like her who would respond to quality. The rest, as they say, is history. Today, Margaret’s classically designed quality clothes are still made to last, just like that jumble sale shirt. You will also find her passion for books, art, furniture, textiles and ceramics in her serenely designed stores. Since opening her first in 1976, she has stuck rigidly to her values and is a leader in her field.

The 606 Universal Shelving System designed by Dieter Rams in 1960 and made by Vitsœ ever since.

Another ‘pure brand’ is Vitsœ, a manufacturer of classic products designed by Dieter Rams. Mark Adams became its managing director in the 1990s and moved the company and production to London, where international markets would be better served. Vitsœ stands for “the inordinate power of good design in everything we do: designing thoughtfully, responsibly and intelligently for our company, our furniture and the many people who share a profound interest in all of our tomorrows”.

The 606 installed at my London studio.

As a Vitsœ customer, I can vouch for the supreme quality of its end-to-end service. It is everything the brand promises.

Today, global web-based monster brands like Facebook, Google and Amazon are not particularly transparent with their business practices and complex tax arrangements. Just look at the recent controversy over Facebook and Cambridge Analytics, where millions of private customers’ information was sold on to other organisations without permission. No doubt more stories will follow.

Trusting a brand is no longer as straightforward as it used to be. The Internet is like the Wild West all over again. And if nothing else, remember that a brand is not just a logo.

To hear a recorded interview with with me and Margaret Howell click here.

Branding brands: Part 3 tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e5532538c488330223c8452281200c2018-04-23T10:25:09+01:002018-04-23T14:39:19+01:00In the 1980's, a darker shadow fell over the use of branding (more visual wallpaper) during the Thatcher era, when her Conservative Party started to sell off the country’s many national industries, among them British Petroleum, British Aerospace, Cable &...Mike Dempsey

In the 1980's, a darker shadow fell over the use of branding (more visual wallpaper) during the Thatcher era, when her Conservative Party started to sell off the country’s many national industries, among them British Petroleum, British Aerospace, Cable & Wireless, Britoil, Associated British Ports Jaguar, British Telecommunications, British Shipbuilders, British Gas, British Airways, Rolls-Royce, BAA, British Steel, water, electricity and many more.

The government used advertising and design on an industrial scale to convince the public that they would make money by purchasing shares in these, soon to be former, publicly owned businesses. But, in the event, the controlling interest went to the big institutes and hedge funds, and today most of those sell-offs are now owned by foreign organisations. The result has been endless price hikes, particularly in the utilities, along with lamentable customer service over the years. These free-market companies pay astronomical sums to their CEOs and substantial dividends to keep shareholders happy, and the customer pays the price. The identities and advertising created for these famous British companies did their job, and the public flocked to buy their little clutches of shares.

Very few of the real culprits serve time for their crimes.

Following the economic crash in 2008 and the subsequent revelation that global banks were systematically and knowingly involved in criminal activity, they became the most loathed industry in the minds of the public. Ever since that catastrophic crash, more revelations of wrongdoing have continued to be uncovered. The banks, in turn, have tried to counter these negative stories buy producing multi-million-pound advertising campaigns, extolling their newfound ‘care’ for their customers and communities, in the hope that they will be seen as warm and fluffy organisations.

One of many posters extolling the new found virtues of the caring, sharing Lloyds Bank.

Sadly, a large part of the public seems to have very short-term memories of the foreclosing on mortgages and loans. And there was the aggressive interference with business clients in financial trouble. The banks would send in their business support teams and charge excessive management fees, and many of those companies folded because of it. Most of the high street banks have 'refreshed' their visual identities in the hope that we will forget all that and allow the sentimental stories in their commercials of good deeds and care for their customers and communities to seduce us into thinking that they really love us. I personally find it sickening and am amazed that the agencies involved in peddling this PR balm can sleep at night.

The Co-operative and idea based of noble values.

In 1844 the Co-operative was formed by the Rochdale pioneers. They believed in a different way of doing business. An inspiring socialist idea in business that would be owned by its members and work for the common good. They had a series of values. Honesty, Openness, Social responsibility, Caring for others, and endorsed by its members. They were placed at the heart of their brand. Over the years they expanded into many areas. This is true story telling based on a set of noble beliefs that would keep the brand alive for generations. But a couple of years back their popular and much trusted ‘ethical’ Co-op Bank came crashing down when its chairman, Reverend Paul Flowers, lost grip of what he was doing at the bank in favour of corporate perks, along with sex and crystal meth. It was a shock for customers and the long-held perceived view of a trust was devastated.

The Co-operative now back to the simple 1960's short hand Co-op updated by design consultancies North as part of companies rebuilding programme.

The whole group has suffered and they are on a long hard road trying to regain that customer trust and loyalty. Brans are very fragile things.

An Apple cathedral of worship.

A shining example of a 'global brand' has to be Apple under Steve Jobs, with his obsessive oversight and guidance in every aspect: design quality, technology, commercials, copywriting, staff training, stores and rigorously managed interactions with customers.

Disciples extolling the virtues of Apple.

Their brand values seemed untouchable, having managed to create a quasi-religion worshipped in cathedral-like stores by their eager Apple disciples. But since the death of Jobs, rather more-negative stories have been surfacing about tax avoidance, the disregard of widespread abuse of the workers that build its products. The increasing short shelf life of iPad and iPhone products, the most expensive in the mass-market technology area, set to self-destruct, leaving many feeling ripped off, leaving a sour taste for Apple customers. The worship is beginning to tarnish.

Part 4 next week looks at brands like the Co-operative based on a central idea with values to match.

Branding brands: Part 1tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e5532538c4883301bb0a028b8c970d2018-04-10T23:26:04+01:002018-04-10T23:26:04+01:00Deliveroo's new logo Over the past few months, I have become increasingly irritated by regular design press stories about so-called ‘rebrands’. On reading the articles, it is clear that most of these ‘rebrands’ are little more than a logo change,...Mike Dempsey

Deliveroo's new logo

Over the past few months, I have become increasingly irritated by regular design press stories about so-called ‘rebrands’. On reading the articles, it is clear that most of these ‘rebrands’ are little more than a logo change, be it a complete reworking, like Deliveroo, or just a ‘spot the difference’ tweak, like Google. I am always amazed that design journalists never seem to challenge what they are fed from the various design agencies.

And Google's spot the difference logo.

Establishing a brand is not just about the logo or the styling of the print material and the website: it is a far deeper, lengthier and more complex affair. It is about an organisation’s behaviour and how that is reflected in the service, products, words and imagery. Think of it as a person: their look, sound, personality, truthfulness, trustworthiness and behaviour. In other words, it is the sum of all the parts. The visual and verbal expressions of this, the logo and copy, are just small elements of the whole. And the logo is no more than a visual trigger.

Let’s set out what a ‘brand’ is supposed to do. For centuries, a simple arrangement of letters/shapes assembled on a rod made of cast iron was plunged into a glowing fire and used to burn into the flesh of cattle. It was a simple and permanent way to identify the owner. That’s where the term ‘branding’ originated.

Where it all started.

Later, these branding marks metamorphosed into a variety of names using new printing methods, such as colophon, symbol, emblem, insignia, monogram, trademark, motif and hallmark. All are used to signify organisations, services and products.

The original 1896 logo (left) for what was later to become IBM. The interlocking initials are identical to cattle branding iron arrangements.

In the 1900's bill posting became one of the most immediate ways to advertise.

Later came the 'impervious to all weathers', the vitreous enamelled sign.

The selling of producst became more sophisticated when packaging was introduced.

During the Industrial Revolution, these ‘visual prompts’ were employed extensively to advertise products and were often no more than letterpress printed posters pasted on to walls or sturdy weatherproof, outdoor, vitreous enamelled signs – many from the Victorian period still survive to this day. Later, as retail developed, the packaging of products started to appear for the convenience of customers, like, Kellogg’s corn flakes, Quaker porridge oats, Pears soap, etc. But the idea of a more coordinated company look came much later.

London Underground, one of the most memorable logos, first introduced in 1907 (above) and has been subtlety and systematically developed over many years.

The most coordinated move came in the 1920s, under the watchful eye of Chief Executive Frank Pick, developed over a period of time established a far more sophisticated system, introducing a comprehensive design programme that embraced every aspect of its enterprise, from architecture, signage, a unique typeface and textiles to uniforms, rolling stock, advertising and posters.

Not forgetting the brilliant underground map created by Harry Beck. London Transport was an early example of a truly coordinated design concept, and as it rolled out the ‘essence’ of what London Transport was about, formulating this in the minds of passengers, it signalled the comfort, speed, safety and efficiency of a modern transport system. One that the public could depend on.

This little penguin, developed over the years, found favour with the reading public for many decades. The original design was by Edward Young in 1935.

In 1935 Sir Allen Lane cofounded Penguin Books and enabled the public to buy high-quality paperback fiction and non-fiction for sixpence. It was quickly established as the publisher you could trust for quality in literature. It remained that way until Lane died in 1970. The day after his death Penguin was floated on the stock market, and in the following years much of Lane's vision was lost in the corporate boardroom. Under new management large swaths of the distinguished list was axed and books that Lane would not have touched with a bargepole were included in Penguin's list. It was a sad loss of the trust that Lane had built with the public over many decades.

The cover styling was an important part of Penguin's success along with the sixpenny cover price.

One of IBM's buildings, with its sartorially coordinated staff in 1968

In the 1950/60s, America started to developed what became known as ‘corporate identity’ with the same rigour as London Transport. More design companies started to embrace corporate identity in their mixes.

Paul Rand's detailed corporate identity for IBM developed from the.

IBM's CEO, Thomas J. Watson, Jr. had an epiphany. “Good design is good business,” he declared. It became the company’s mantra and mandate and signaled a profound design-conscious evolution in the company’s operations.

IBM, featuring the work of designer Paul Rand, is a classic example. Others, like Saul Bass, Lou Dorfsman and Ivan Chermayeff, were all involved in rolling out comprehensive corporate identities. Many of these were simply coordinated public-facing style exercises.

Above the logo for the Bell Telephone Company by Saul Bass. And below his Warner logo.

The classic logo for CBS designed by Bill Golden in 1951.

It was later developed into and outstanding comprehensive corporate identity by Lou Dorfsman during the 1960's

Another competing broadcaster, NBC also produced a coordinated look crated by John J. Graham in 1959.

Ivan Chermayeff's work for Chase Manhatten Bank, Mobil Oil and Public Broadcasting Services.

Two examples of Josef Muller-Brockmann's identity work for arts organisations from the late 1950's to the late 1960's. It typifies the structured grid system with its strict typographical rules and minimal deviation in style.

The Swiss, with their logical systematic grid system, favoured by the likes of Josef Muller-Brockmann, became the modernised style to follow but did tend to create enormous similarity, rather than differentiate organisations.

The long lived logo for British Rail, introduce in 1964 designed by Design Research Unit, Britain's first cross disciplinary consultancy founded in 1943 by Misha Black, Milner Gray, and Herbert Read

The identity for London Electricity Board, designed by FHK Henrion 1970. And below his logo for Tate & Lyle 1965.

Here in the UK, the Design Research Unit and FHK Henrion were two of the most important consultancies involved in creating corporate identities for major British companies.

A far more penetrating look at companies was to come from the world of advertising. They would engender an emotional connection with the public. Branding brands: Part 2 next week.

Stephen Frankfurt: The big ideatag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e5532538c4883301b8d29b69be970c2017-08-01T10:48:14+01:002017-08-01T10:48:14+01:00Stephen Frankfurt Stephen Frankfurt was one of the original Madison Avenue advertising Mad Men. His ads were ‘ideas based’, using sharp, witty, well-crafted copy – rarely produced these days. One of the areas that he had a particular talent for...Mike Dempsey

Stephen Frankfurt

Stephen Frankfurt was one of the original Madison Avenue advertising Mad Men. His ads were ‘ideas based’, using sharp, witty, well-crafted copy – rarely produced these days. One of the areas that he had a particular talent for was promoting Hollywood movies, and that was where I first heard of him back in 1963 when he created and directed the title sequence for To Kill a Mocking Bird: one of the most beautiful and tender introductions to a film. Had he done nothing else in his career, that single project would have marked him out as special.

Much has been written and discussed aboutthe sequence. For me, it remains one of the most arresting opening title sequences to a film ever, even over the many titles of the mighty Saul Bass. But, interestingly, looking back at his advertising work now, one can see that he used a regular kit of parts to create his own particular signature when it came to advertising films – always a simple idea with a twist and often using closely cropped profiles of a face, as you will see in the following run of some of Frankfurt’s posters.

Above some of the feature film promotion posters that Frankfurt worked on many using recurring large imagery with the addition of a small graphic 'trigger'.

In 1968, Stephen Frankfurt became the president of Young & Rubicam Advertising – the youngest ever to hold the position. Along with the highly innovative agency Doyle, Dane and Burbank, he was at the forefront of conceptual advertising, which transformed television commercials from straightforward sales pitches into sophisticated, concept-driven mini works of art. The approach had a profound influence on the British creative scene.

Above just a sampling of press advertisements overseen by Frankfurt showing his love of simplicity, intelligent copy and beautiful imagery.

Stephen Frankfurt died in 2012 at the age of 80 following a struggle with Alzheimer’s. A sad end to a great career.

And a short film with Stephen Frankfurt explaining how it was achieved here

There is a rather goodBBC documentaryshowing Frankfurt at work and play in the 1960s.

And there is a very good blog piece written by British advertising man Dave Dye.

Graphic Journey’s mini creative review of 2016tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e5532538c4883301b8d24f702c970c2017-01-09T17:50:33+00:002017-01-09T22:22:38+00:00Of the many things I’ve seen and heard this year, the following, in my view, are the best, with a few of the worst that really infuriated me. TV The Icelandic noir crime series Trapped was one of the better...Mike Dempsey

Of the many things I’ve seen and heard this year, the following, in my view, are the best, with a few of the worst that really infuriated me.

TV

The Icelandic noir crime series Trapped was one of the better crime productions, not only for its creepy storyline but also for the wonderful, relentless, snow-swept locations.

Happy Valley. Series 2 was as magnificent as the first series, with consistently outstanding writing from Sally Wainwright and wonderful performances from the entire cast, especially Sarah Lancashire.

Fleabag. An amazingly revealing and original series from writer and star Phoebe Waller-Bridge. It is funny, edgy and very moving.

Going Forward. Another outstanding writer/comedian is Jo Brand, and Going Forward was funny and touching in equal measures.

Films

Joachim Lafosse’s, L'Économie du Couple (After Love). An intense observation of a marriage breakdown performed with utter commitment by the film’s two leads Bérénice Bejo and Cédric Kahn. More

20th Century Women is set in Santa Barbara in the late ’70s and focuses on Dorothea Fields (Annette Bening), a wonderfully eccentric single mother and divorcée living in a dilapidated but charmingly eclectic house where she lets two rooms to help make ends meet in order to bring up her son as a decent human being, with much angst and hilarity on the way. Written and directed by ex-graphic designer Mike Mills, whose earlier film Beginners was a delight too. More

I, Daniel Blake is Ken Loach’s precisely targeted indictment of our welfare state. It is Loach at his very best. More

Following A Single Man, director Tom Ford follows up with Nocturnal Animals and proves that he is to be taken seriously in this nearly perfect thriller. More

Manchester by the Sea. An incredibly powerful and moving story of loss, with an Oscar-deserving performance from lead Casey Affleck.

Ethel and Ernest. The story of Raymond Briggs’ young life. Despite it being an animated film, it pulls no punches. Humorous, beautiful, moving and tragic. Watch it

Product

Terence Woodgate's elegant Solid - Carrara marble table lamp.

Theatre

Yerma. The Young Vic restaging of Federico Garcia Lorca’s 1934 tragic masterpiece ‘Yerma’, reset in 21st-century hip London society. With two standout performances from Billie Piper (in the main role as ‘Yerma’) and Brendan Cowell as her husband. More

The Almeida’s stunningly brilliant production of Uncle Vanya. Imaginatively staged and directed by Robert Icke, with a wonderful cast headed by Paul Rhys.

Architecture

The Switch House Tate. One of the most inhospitable, dismal architectural experiences of 2016. Bleak and cold, with no attempt to create an uplifting experience for the visitor. More

Graphics/Branding

Two diabolical rebrands appeared on the scene. First was the hideous Addison Lee courier and car service. It could have been so good in the right hands.

British Steel introduced a shamefully embarrassing new identity, as opposed to reintroducing David Gentleman’s perfectly thought-out original.

But there was a welcomed and brave move in accepting that an earlier logo from the 1960s still works perfectly. Sean Perkins at North resurrected the baby from the bathwater of the ill-judged Co-operative rebrand of a few years ago.

Nat West's so-called "gentle evolution" of their logo by making what was originally simple complicated. It will be hardly noticed by most but will cost many millions to implement. Such is the insulting disregard that banks have for the public's view of them. More

This is graphic design at its very best: simple, meaningful, intelligent and witty. Created by Paula Scher at Pentagram NYC for The Heart & Stroke Foundation of Canada.

Posters

2016 saw another group of inept ‘fine art’ collection of posters, this time for the Rio Olympics. Repeating the dreadful mistake of the 2012 UK Olympics with equally dreadful posters, again headed by Tracey Emin. An insult to all serious poster designers. More

Books

A Life in Letterpress. Alan Kitching’s life work in print. A doorstopper of a book, beautifully illustrated.

Nobrow has published the graphic novel, Audubon that centres on explorer John James Audubon’s ornithological quest across America during the 19th century. Written by Fabien Grolleau and sensitively illustrated by Jérémie Royer.

Advertising

Wales’ Christmas drink-driving campaign, by the Cardiff- based agency Bluegg, underlines the tragic loss of a loved one on Christmas Day.

Art

The Royal Academy of Arts, Abstract Expressionism exhibition was an absolute joy but rather too crowded.

Stamps

Agatha Christie: An intriguing series of six stamps designed by Jim Sutherland and Neil Webb, complete with hidden clues.

Florian Zeller’s award-winning stage play The Father, translated by Christopher Hampton for BBC Radio 3. Centred on a man disappearing into the world of dementia. With a moving performance from Kenneth Cranham.

Behind the logotag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e5532538c4883301b7c8a6cb38970b2016-10-25T11:11:01+01:002016-10-25T11:11:01+01:00"A calculated advertising ploy to present itself as a respectable society-loving organisation." This was the actor Mark Rylance's criticism of BP's funding of the arts on BBC's BH programme last Sunday. BP have renewed their sponsorship of the Royal Opera...Mike Dempsey

This was the actor Mark Rylance's criticism of BP's funding of the arts on BBC's BH programme last Sunday.

BP have renewed their sponsorship of the Royal Opera House, British Museum, National Portrait Gallery and Royal Shakespeare Company. Rylance's view is that BP is using these organisations to 'white wash' what is going on behind the scenes.

His views chime with my own about the many bank's force feeding us with their sudden conversion to 'caring ' about their customers and society.

Michael Woolf wrote a thought-provoking piece about logos for Design Week. You can read it here.

I posted a comment expanding on the topic but, for whatever reason, Design Week chose not to publish it - the second time this has happened to me within a month. A pity as I had mistakenly thought that one could use the comments space to open up the debate to a more thought-provoking view beyond the purely visual. It would seem not.

I completely agree with Michael Wolff's analysis concerning the many recent inept and dubious rebranding and that horrible description, 'refreshing' exercises.

Banks, all of them, have angered me more than any other area in recent years. And even more, now that they are trying to ingratiate their way back into our pockets. I loath them for their callous disregard for the public's intelligence. The flurry of commercials, press ads and posters informing us that they now desperately 'care' about society and only want to contribute to the good. And more often than not preseeded with a rebrand (Barclays and Lloyds). Just like the recent Nat West launch. All that insignificant claptrap about the origin of the logo to signify that in was the coming together of the National Provincial Bank, Westminster Bank and District Bank is totally meaningless to a 2016 audience. This is a bank using a rebrand as an Elastoplast in an attempt to mask the sins and criminal activities of past decades.

If you peel it back, under the surface you will discover that many thousands of hard working employees have been made redundant and many branches shut.

Meanwhile, they will roll out this farcical, PR spin and advertising lead, almost indistinguishable new/old identity to all their fascias, ATM machines, projecting signs, livery, credit cards, print etc.

Above the existing logo.

And the new one. Is this change worth the millions it will cost to implement?

To change all of these...

and these...

and these.

Hardly anyone, except for a few geeky designers, will ever notice. It is such an obscene waste of money that will no doubt run into many millions.

Had Nat West really wanted to make a genuine gesture of recompense, far better to use that money to help society in conjunction with a press campaign sporting the headline, WE ARE SORRY .' big and bold, spelling out exactly why and what they have done about their shady past dealings with customers. To my knowledge, none of the banks has really apologised to the public in this way. Nat West and the others won't of course and will no doubt stand by their vomit inducing commercials, the Nat West black and white one pointing out the shortcomings of society. How ironic and insulting. judge for yourself here.

Bank robberytag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e5532538c4883301b8d226269b970c2016-10-06T22:19:02+01:002018-04-22T22:35:29+01:00I know I sometimes tend to have the occasional rant. But banks really do it for me. Over the past year, many of the British ones have been, so called, 'refreshing' their brands. The latest to do this is Nat...Mike Dempsey

I know I sometimes tend to have the occasional rant. But banks really do it for me. Over the past year, many of the British ones have been, so called, 'refreshing' their brands.

The latest to do this is Nat West. Call me cynical but I can't be alone in thinking that all this is just a strategy to divert us from the fact that they have all been abusing their customers for years. Most are downright criminals, but will never see the inside of a prison. Suddenly we are all expected to believe their new slogans like "We are here for you", they now want to be our best friends. Barclays refer to themselves as 'Your Bank'.

Lloyds say " Because your family matters", RBS, "The bank that earns you trust". And back to Nat West, they are saying "We'll help you along the way" and "We know a helping hand is always nice". Just wait until there is an economic downturn. Where will your new friends be then?

How can the people that write this stuff look themselves in the mirror? It is unbelievable.

The new (not really) Nat West logo has three interlocking cubes. How original.

Hang on a mo, I walked around my neighbourhood in Clerkenwell yesterday and noticed this in a tile shop window. Pretty naff yes, and they are also using multi-coloured boxes.

And then there's the blocky multi coloured typeface.

Actually a bit like this.

Apparently, the idea is “... a gentle evolution of the brand rather than a reinvention.” With no doubt, a great deal of money behind the project, a little more research wouldn't have gone amiss.

And to support this Nat West rebrand they have produced the above commercial, get the box of tissues ready, hereit is.

Not so long ago we had Barclays feeding us with Loachian-style commercials centring on the loyalty of good old British football supporters in a variety of scenarios showing ordinary people cheering on Barclays-sponsored teams.“Thank you – you are football,”says Barclays as 86-year-old Everton supporter Billy Ingham sets off to see his beloved team play. Utter sentimentality to pull at the heart strings to make you feel all warm and cuddly about Barclays.

Meanwhile, behind the scene, banks have been cutting tens of 1000's of staff and closing 100's of local branches, all due to the crisis created by their criminal activity of miss-selling of protection insurance and all the other scams and schemes going back decades.

But of course, the banking top dogs (and they are always mostly dogs) continually increase their annual salaries and perks to engorge their already obscene amounts. And even if they are occasionally fired, they walk away with a mini lottery win in their pockets due to their watertight contracts concocted by top lawyers and accountants.

Hearing Teresa May on Wednesday telling us she is going to clamp down on this kind of greed is just pure waffle. We all know that absolutely nothing will happen. Yet more vacuous PR for a few sound bites in the media.

Now that the banks can no longer rob us under the radar, they are going to do it directly. Those of you with bank business accounts will soon receive letters informing you that you will have to pay for having your money in the bank. So not only will you receive no interest on your deposits, but you will now find yourself having to pay for every transaction and many other services that were historically free. Well, they need to pay for all this brand refreshing and topping up the top dog bonuses. But actually we, the gullible customer, will be paying for all that. What suckers we all are.

The greed and deception are so well ingrained in the banking fraternity that it is still filtering through and there are many more skeletons in the safe.

And they say we should stop bashing the bankers. I say get out the baseball bats. They are shameless. One also has to question the morality of our creative community in colluding in this kind of cynical subterfuge. Not a single bank has run a press campaign to say SORRY.

Meanwhile, across the pond, there is a fearless woman (my current heroine) Elizabeth Warren (above) who is taking the US bank robbers to task at the Banking committee Hearings. Just watchher dismantle the CEO of Wells Fargo, John Stumpf, she is truly amazing.

When advertising was advertisingtag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e5532538c4883301b8d1a4d649970c2016-02-26T16:50:05+00:002016-02-26T16:50:05+00:00This is a favorite book, the 1971 New York Art Directors Club of New York Annual. It has a ballsy no-nonsense typographical structure and layout. The work is very much the hero and not the designer of the book, but...Mike Dempsey

This is a favorite book, the 1971 New York Art Directors Club of New York Annual. It has a ballsy no-nonsense typographical structure and layout. The work is very much the hero and not the designer of the book, but having said that, I love the design. But most of all I love the look and copy in the advertising.

We are talking about the era of great ideas, wonderful copy and photography. Equally great work in a similar vein was being produced here in the UK. But those days of long lovingly written copy, with witty headlines, are a thing of the past. We live in a visually driven age of advertising. Advertising that has to communicate instantly and globally.

Who knows perhaps one-day intelligent and beautifully written ads will return. Anything is possible

Coca-Cola: Myth and realitytag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e5532538c4883301bb087f1eac970d2015-10-09T11:18:12+01:002015-10-09T11:18:12+01:00As designers, we have always loved the logo, the bottle and the charm of those nostalgic Coca-Cola Christmas press advertisements – the smiling Santa brandishing that highly desirable bottle to the adoringly expecting children. But the reality is a far...Mike Dempsey

As designers, we have always loved the logo, the bottle and the charm of those nostalgic Coca-Cola Christmas press advertisements – the smiling Santa brandishing that highly desirable bottle to the adoringly expecting children.

But the reality is a far more sinister matter. Whether by design or coincidence, since Jamie Oliver’s highly disturbing programme screened last month about the explosion in diabetes caused by the excessive use of sugar in our foodstuffs, Coca-Cola has been on a charm offensive. A few weeks back, they were out in force giving away free cans to passers-by at my local station in Clerkenwell.

Snapped from a bus a little later.

And they also ran a series of full-page colour advertisements in the nationals. Now it would seem that Coca-Cola has set to work on injecting large amounts of money into medical research in an attempt to counter the negative medical claims against their product. Echoes of the tobacco industry’s attempts at lobbying the benefits of smoking come to mind.

Snapped in a 99p store.

But I find the behaviour of the large supermarkets that push litre bottles of Coca-Cola and Pepsi in their 2 for 1 offers (always positioned at the entrance to their stores) is shameful and clearly a collusion with these international drinks companies in order to get kids addicted as early as possible – generations to come will be packed into our already overstretched health service to the cost of everyone.

This is one area where the nanny state would be a very good thing.

Arnold Varga: Homespun perfectiontag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e5532538c4883301b8d1541602970c2015-09-07T17:12:28+01:002015-09-07T17:12:28+01:00Arnold Varga was one of America’s multi-talented creatives. He illustrated, designed and art directed. And he did all three to supreme perfection. His work had an impeccable beauty that was highly individual and timeless. He was playful with type, often...Mike Dempsey

Arnold Varga was one of America’s multi-talented creatives. He illustrated, designed and art directed. And he did all three to supreme perfection.

His work had an impeccable beauty that was highly individual and timeless. He was playful with type, often making witty interplays with his illustrations. Those illustrations could be dense and meticulous or reduced down to starkly minimal and clean graphic lines.

He was born in McKeesport, Pennsylvania, and kept close to his birthplace throughout his life. A childhood friend, the great American photographer Duane Michals, said of him: “He worked in this little steel town, without any real nurturing, and he bloomed into a major talent. He made it happen on his own energy.”

Varga also had another obstacle: being almost blind in one eye. But it didn’t stop him. He would draw and take his portfolio around local department stores, which would often result in a commission.

In the 1950s, he took on a job as a messenger at the Sterling Lindner Davis department store in Cleveland, Ohio. Eventually, it led to him becoming head of advertising there. He moved on into the world of advertising, joining the agency Ketchum, MacLeod & Grove, Inc. He later landed a job at BBDO in Pittsburgh.

During the late 1950s, he began to produce some outstanding freelance work for several department stores, including Horne’s, Cox’s, Wanamaker’s and Higbee’s, often collaborating with copywriter Alan Van Dine, whom he’d met at BBDO. Describing Varga’s working process, Van Dine said: “It was completely backwards. Arnold would say ‘I want to do a watermelon’. Or ‘a baby carriage’. My job was to come up with something lively to connect the visual. We didn’t know at that point which client was going to see it.”

In 1959, the National Society of Art Directors named Varga Art Director of the Year, which included former recipients Saul Bass, Charles Coiner, Walt Disney, Leo Lionni and Bradbury Thompson.

In 1967, he produced a memorable Christmas advertisement for Horne’s department store (below). It depicted an immaculate portrait of Dickens’ Scrooge.

It was so successful that the store had to produce postcards and Christmas cards to give away. Milton Glaser said that Varga’s images were “impeccably rendered and beautiful... One of the main tests of these things is their durability, and they are still very fresh, very innovative.”

From the late 1960s to the early ’70s, he had an agent who said that Varga was very picky about what he would take on, often turning down high-paid jobs in favour of a small one that paid next to nothing because he felt it had more potential.

Arnold Varga moved to Pleasant Hills, a suburb of Pittsburgh, where he ran a sort of one-man agency from home. He worked on various commissions from mainstream clients until he retired in the late 1970s to look after his elderly mother, who died at the age of 96. After which he became increasingly reclusive living alone. He wasn’t as long-lasting as his mother and checked out at the relatively young age of 68.

Arnold Varga 1926 - 1994

You can view a short video on Varga's work presented by Rick Landesburg at an AIGA event in Pittsburg a few years ago. Click here.